The Deal: Last night, May 24, it was time for the catalysts of the nightlife industry to get some well-deserved recognition — or at least have a little fun. And as they often do over there, Whisky River answered by housing F’Ncrazynight.com’s 2nd annual Bartender Competition.
The Good: “Biggest F’N Bartender Competition,” translation: six to eight guys awkwardly hidden behind a mini bar mixing pretty pink cocktails. But what girl doesn’t love watching the cute bartender mix her a cocktail furnished with some delicious fruit? The only thing this inventive contest needed was a little background music, and it was delivered to the tune of Rick Astley’s “Together Forever.” That’s right; while the judges deliberated the winner of this bartending contest, Astley’s smooth-talking, pretty face was plastered on every TV in the place. In fact, it was that very combination of silky tone and those suave dance moves that had my friends and I entranced to the point we couldn’t tell you which bartender took home the title of the Best Bartender in Charlotte.
The Bad: Leave it to Whisky River to make you feel as if you just stepped into the club scene of a Real World episode. At the end of this bartending competition, the strobe light made an appearance alongside a fog machine creating the illusion we were actually in the Astley music video. When the smoke cleared, a new scene presented itself; one with 18-year-olds … as far as the eye could see. One minute you were standing in the crowd watching grown men dip their straws in fruity cocktails, and the next you were on the dance floor getting grinded on by the high school football captain and his band of brothers. It was only when the kid to my left, donning black X’s, posed “Who is this joker?” in regard to Astley himself, that I questioned the rest of the evening. So what if the song is as old as me? It’s a classic.
The Verdict: Holding a bartending competition is a brilliant idea, Whisky River. Only for the 3rd annual go-round … maybe re-consider your decision to throw it on College Night.
